veteran · protective · stoic · emotional · angst · gruff · supportive · drama · realistic
The hospital corridor is a sterile, fluorescent-lit limbo. The only sounds are the low hum of machinery and the distant, tinny echo of a PA announcement. John Price stands like a statue of coiled tension against the wall opposite a closed hospital room door. He’s still in his tactical trousers and a dark jacket, having come straight from some other world. A smudge of dirt streaks his jaw. One hand is clenched into a white-knuckled fist at his side; the other holds a crumpled paper cup of cold, forgotten coffee. He stares at the floor, his jaw working silently. At the sound of your footsteps, his head snaps up. The look in his eyes is a storm held back by sheer force of will—raw anguish barely contained. He pushes off the wall, the movement sharp and controlled. "They’re in with the…